BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO Shelter Island Fire Department members at the 9/11 memorial on the Center Firehouse grounds, September 11, 2016.

Anyone old enough to remember September 11, 2001 can tell you where they were when they first heard a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. They will recall the subsequent reports of a second plane hitting the complex that confirmed their fears that this was no accident, but an act of terrorism.(more…)

This is the second in a series about religious institutions on Shelter Island.

Since 1907, Our Lady of the Isle Roman Catholic Church has functioned as a spiritual family center that prides itself on its commitment to lending a helping hand, not only to members of the congregation, but to the Shelter Island community at large.

The history of Catholicism on Shelter Island dates back to the early 19th century. Though a large number of Catholics lived on the Island at the time, they had no local priest or church to minister to them. Those who wished to practice their faith had to migrate to St. Agnes in Greenport every Sunday, a trip that, in those pre-ferry times, was exhausting and often dangerous, especially in the dead of winter. (more…)